Αυτά είναι τα λόγια ενός ανθρώπου που δεν έχει καμία ευαισθησία όσο αφορά το ελληνικό τραγούδι
I would like to address Francois who wrote the above about me.
If you do not agree with my opinion - that is OK. You are entitled to your opinion. However, you are not entitled to insult me personally as you have in the above.
I, like you, am entitled to voice my own opinion, without the fear of being insulted. That is why we live in a democracy.
For your information, my knowledge and ευαισθησθια of greek music is vast. I am a very proud greek and object when an open forum is taken down to a personal level.

I consider it a shame that an artist like Dalara has to sing on this appalling presentation. Marinella tries to dominate totally. She drowns him out frequently, and he sounds ill at ease. Marinella does not have a voice that blends in well. She is no sweet female. She was compatible with Hatzis, bacause he is as rough as she is, but with Dalara it sounds forced and akward. IWhen Dalara sang with Alexiou, Glykeria, Stanisi, Arvanitaki, Tsaligopoulou - it was musical heaven, but with this old broad - it is audible hell.
It is time she retired!

found this in the English version of the Ekathimerini on the net.
Very interesting!
Mixed feelings over cultural stopover in NY
Costa-Gavrass multifaceted All Around Is Light was marred by performance errors and some incongruity.
By V. Angelikopoulos - Kathimerini
NEW YORK - Costa-Gavrass production for the Cultural Olympiad, performed at the Metropolitan Opera House on Tuesday night, was an interesting and multifaceted collage of various artistic disciplines, an experience of Greece as seen through the eyes of a Greek of the diaspora. The highly anticipated Greek event had many potent moments that both moved and impressed, but was also marked by numerous weaknesses that proved detrimental to the overall result of this risky effort, considering the complex nature of its components.
We conveyed certain fundamental messages and that is very significant as the performance was seen by contingents of many nations here at the UN headquarters, remarked Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos, who traveled to New York for the performance, All Around Is Light.
Commenting on the many mistakes made during the performance, Costa-Gavras, the internationally renowned French-based film director and screenwriter, attributed the mishaps to a shortage of practice time on the prestigious New York stage, which he said amounted to a mere eight hours because of its unavailability.
The comments Im getting from people about the performance please me, Costa-Gavras told Greek reporters. But a director is never content because he or she picks up on things that a member of the audience may not see. And lots of mistakes were made tonight [Tuesday], he added.
The most obvious mistake of all was a back-to-front screening of Costa-Gavras short film about mans devastating effects on the Acropolis. Consequently, the subtitles of crucial parts went astray. It was a tremendous shame as the short film, one of the productions many components, is truly impressive as a powerful statement that sheds light on the damage inflicted on the ancient monument by Lord Elgin.
Besides the mishaps that could be attributed to lack of preparation time, the production was also weighed down by bad aesthetics in vital parts. Surprisingly, the ballet Artemis, a world premiere performed by the renowned American Ballet Theater as yet another component of All Around Is Light, disappointed. Not only did the ballet lack vigor and inspiration, but, on a technical level, it failed to correspond to the works theme.
All Around Is Light not only attracted the attention of Greeces diaspora in New York, but other New Yorkers too, either because the work included a new production by the American Ballet Theater, or because the Cultural Olympiads event was heavily promoted in the US press. In addition, Costa-Gavras, the man behind the film Z, also has a considerable American following. As a result, the New York venue was full on Tuesday night. Among the UN delegations was Archbishop Demetrios, the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America.
From beginning to end, Greek music served as a backdrop for the performance, in which varying components, such as ancient tragedy, ballet, film, and other visuals, vied to portray various dimensions of Greece as evoked by the Greek emigrant with strong nostalgia for his or her homeland, such as the countrys light, scenery, people, history and art.
A fundamental contributor to the music, and, therefore, entire production, was Giorgos Dalaras, who, with support from the evenings musical director, Loukas Karytinos, made a valiant effort to cover for the lack of preparation. For reasons still unknown, Dalaras was left without the Mets new diva, Greek soprano Elena Kelessidi, who was replaced by Savina Yiannatou. They were joined by Melina Aslanidou and a Greek-American childrens choir which proved a highlight wherever Costa-Gavras chose to use it. The music, which included compositions by Vassilis Tsitsanis, Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis and Greek folk songs, was often complemented by a collage of images, such as photos, film and splendid scenery by the artist Alekos Fasianos made especially for the performance, as well as well-known works by the late Yiannis Tsarouchis. All were wonderfully blended by Costa-Gavras to elicit historic memory, feeling, and aesthetic appeal.
The difficulties began with the attempted unification of other artistic disciplines, not because they cannot be fused experimental collage overcomes all but because each department was lacking somewhere. The American Ballet Theaters performance was loaded with cliche, uninspired and, furthermore, modestly executed. The actress Lydia Koniordous part in a crescendo of Greek tragedy, the lament of Electra by Euripides, went against the works grain and, fortunately, was followed by a similar English-language scene from Sophocles Electra, which saved the day for both. As was noted earlier, Costa-Gavrass dynamic five-minute film on the Acropolis was sadly projected backward. Fortunately, the Pontian dancers and the childrens choir contributed positively, while other parts of the performance were also constructive and often touching. Better preparation could have led to better results.

Ahhh- you are all too naive I feel. Of course he likes money , and the life his money has brought him- he is human like everyone else. that does not make him a lesser person. Still we are off the subject.
If you visit someone's home, as a guest, you do not critize that home. It is rude. He was a guest in America, dont critize!

Nicholson said it because it is starting to affect their pockets.
That awful Madonna and Pearl Jam had to do a back flip also.
I am as old as Dalara, and have been his most LOYAL fan since he started. I have seen him at least 18 times. In my youth I would go to Greece around his concerts. I once flew over (all the way from Australia) to see him in concert with Alexiou. Most of you would have been babies then. My loyalty cannot be ever doubted.
However, I find it very hypocritial to tour America, make money from American citizens, and then stand up their and criticise the government! Whether you agree or not, it is the government elected by the people, and his job was not to repremand them. The next elections will do that!

To quote Jack Nicolson - We are entertainers - we should just entertain.
Concerts should not be the place for political views! I pay money to hear music . If I wanted political views I would go to rallies.
He should have just played the music!